Our Approach

The health benefits of omega-3 fatty acids were first recognized when populations with traditionally high intake of fish and seafood were found to be less susceptible to cardiovascular-related mortality caused particularly by arrhythmia and sudden cardiac death.

Numerous additional health benefits have meanwhile been attributed to omega-3 fatty acids, including amelioration of inflammatory diseases as well as neurodegenerative disorders.

OMEICOS’ approach is based on recent findings demonstrating that a variety of these beneficial health effects are mediated by “omega-3 epoxyeicosanoids”, a novel class of omega-3 fatty acid-derived bioactive molecules, which are generated via the cytochrome P450 (CYP) epoxygenase pathway.

Enzymes in the CYP pathway help to transform the major dietary fish oil omega-3 fatty acids, EPA and DHA, to omega-3 epoxyeicosanoids such as 17,18-EEQ and 19,20-EDP. Our preclinical studies show that these bioactive molecules display cardioprotective, vasodilatory, anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic properties making them attractive targets for the prevention and treatment of diseases.

However, these molecules are metabolically highly unstable due to their fast degradation and therefore cannot exert their full therapeutic effects. Furthermore, the formation and activity of these beneficial molecules varies with changes in individual gene activities and the influence of diseases, making them unpredictable.

Our approach aims to overcome the limitations of the natural molecules such as their short half-life and variability in their formation in the CYP pathway in addition to making them orally available. Based on in-depth structure-activity-relationship studies, we have generated a library of first-in-class, metabolically stable, synthetic analogs of 17,18-EEQ that mimic its biological activity and are independent of dietary supplements and genetic factors that can modulate cellular metabolite levels. Our small molecule compounds are orally available and show significantly improved biological activity and pharmacokinetic properties compared to their natural counterpart.

OMT-28 was selected as a lead candidate due to its high oral bioavailability, metabolic stability and favorable pharmacokinetic and toxicological properties, including its ability to mimic the activation of anti-arrhythmic and cardioprotective pathways in cardiac cells, similar to its natural counterpart.